What is social proof?

is a psychological phenomenon where people conform to the actions of others simply because they believe that if other people are doing it, it must be the right thing to do.

In a study published in the Wall Street Journal, researchers tested whether social proof was a more powerful driver of human behavior than saving money or saving the environment. They used 4 different messages to try and convince people to use fans instead of air conditioning:

Message 1 – Informed the customer that they could be saving $54/month on their utility bill.

Message 2 – Told customers that they could prevent the release of 262 pounds of greenhouse gasses every month.

Message 4 – Let customers know that 77 percent of their neighbors were already actively using fans to save energy.

Guess what message was the most effective at getting people to use less energy? Message 4 – the one that invoked the use of social proof.

That’s how influential social proof is on human behavior. Our desire to fit in is actually more persuasive than saving money or protecting the environment.

5 types of social proof to use in your email marketing campaigns

So how can you use insight into how human beings are motivated to act to improve your email click-through rates? By adding elements of social proof to your email marketing campaigns.

Here are 5 different types of social proof you can use:

1. Customer testimonials

If you’ve got a great product that your customers love using, including testimonials in your email marketing campaigns can be a great way of letting potential customers see that passion.

Freshbooks does a great job of this in their email campaign announcing the launch of their new ZenPayroll integration feature.

The testimonial from a happy customer who already uses the solution goes a long way in persuading others to try it out as well. By seeing that other people, like Rudyard here, are successful using the product reassures others that they will be as well.

2. Customer or usage numbers

While FoMO (Fear of Missing Out) is commonly joked about, it’s actually a recognized psychological phenomenon where people are driven to take action by the fear that they may be missing out on opportunities others are receiving.

Anybody who has ever felt FoMO, even in social situations, can attest to the fact that it’s a powerful driver of human behavior, so it’s worth leveraging in your email campaigns to help increase your click-through rates.

InVision, a Campaign Monitor customer, does this effectively by showcasing the fact that 300,000 other designers are using their tool to improve their design process.

By showcasing customer numbers like this, InVision triggers people’s fear that other designers may be getting opportunities or benefits they’re not receiving, and are compelling people to click-through from the email and try out their product.

3. Awards

Another way to use social proof is to showcase awards your company has received.

Industry awards, particularly well-known ones, typically hold a lot of credibility among members of a particular industry. So when you or your product are honored with one of these awards, that credibility and respect is passed over to you due a psychological phenomenon known as the Halo Effect.

Campaign Monitor customer Werkpress used this in their campaign announcing the launch of their new site.

This is a well-known industry award (in the design industry), so the fact that their new site received the award gives it a new level of credibility that encourages people to click-through the email campaign and check it out.

4. Product reviews

Adding reviews from real customers who have used your product is a great way to increase your email click-through rate.

Campaign Monitor customer Franklin Rd does a great job of this in their email campaigns.

By showing customer reviews in their campaigns, Franklin Rd reassures potential listeners that clicking through and checking out the albums is worth their time. This element of social proof, combined with other information and visuals like the album cover, increases the chance people will click-through and drives conversions.

5. Press mentions

If you’re lucky enough to have had your product reviewed, or even mentioned, by popular news sites or industry publications then including that in your email campaigns can be a great way to increase conversions.

In a similar way as industry awards, these publications hold a lot of credibility and authority with your potential customers, and showing that they’ve been talking about your business gives you instant credibility.

Campaign Monitor customer Oribe does an awesome job of leveraging media coverage in their email campaigns.

Oribe was fortunate to have their product featured on The Today Show, and while that in itself is a huge win, it’s their use of that mention as social proof that’s really impressive.

By including it in their email campaigns, they are showcasing to potential customers that their product is one of The Today Show’s ‘Favorite Things’ and passing the credibility and likeability the show has onto their product.

Tips for using social proof effectively

Before you start implementing social proof in your email campaigns, let’s look at some best practices for doing so as not all forms of social proof are created equal and getting it wrong can actually hurt conversions.

Be careful of negative social proof

Wording is everything when it comes to social proof, and it’s easier than you think to get wrong.

In a research study conducted at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, researchers tested a number of different signs to try and discourage people stealing wood from the forest.

One of the signs read:

Many past visitors have removed the petrified wood from the park, destroying the natural state of the Petrified Forest.

Even though the sign points out the damage that theft is doing to the forest, when this sign was up the amount of theft tripled.

Why? Because by telling people that many visitors before them had stolen wood from the park, they were showing people this action was a common activity being undertaken by others, effectively making the bad behavior more acceptable in people’s minds.

So if you are going to use social proof in your email marketing, the key is making sure you are saying that majority of people took the action you want them to take, not the action you don’t them to take.

Personalize your testimonials to increase credibility

While testimonials remain a great way to increase conversions in your email campaigns, it’s unfortunate that some less credible marketers than yourself have used testimonials liberally.

As a result, people have become less trusting of them, knowing that it’s pretty easy to simply make them up, or quote friends or colleagues saying great things about your product.

To overcome this, make sure you accompany your testimonials with details about the customer, such as their full name, position, company and even a photo.

Freshbooks use of a testimonial in their email above is a perfect example of this.

Rather than just including a quote from ‘Rudyard M’ they go all in, including his full name, position, company name and even his image.

This reassures people it’s from a real person and adds a level of credibility to the testimonial that makes it more effective at driving conversion.

Avoid displaying small amounts of social proof

While social proof is useful, you don’t want to start using it until you have something to show off.

InVision’s use of their customer number in their email campaigns works because it’s a large number, and triggers people’s fear that they may be missing out on opportunities or benefits that hundreds of thousands of other designers are receiving.

However, if they only had five customers then showcasing that number would likely achieve the exact opposite effect. It would show potential customers that not many other designers are using this product and that it’s probably not worth their time exploring.

Wrap up

Social proof isn’t just a marketing tactic, it’s a fundamental driver of human behavior and genuinely influences how people decide to act.

By incorporating the tips in this post, you can leverage social proof to increase your email click-through rate and drive sales.

Great post! Social Proof is getting to be so important these days. Especially if you’re trying to sell something, whether it’s tangible or a service. People look for what other people have said so much these days. I don’t think I’ve ever not looked at an Amazon review before making a purchase. So much more valuable and effective than recommendations from “experts” or people directly related to the company.

Think I’ve seen a few retailers try to do social proof, but they miss out when they don’t personalise the reviews/testimonials. All they give are a few positive lines about a product, without attributing it to a face or a name. It’s amazing how much more credibility just a name gives a review.

Adam Sack

Great post, thanks guys! It is always worth reading what you have to say and very informative.

Thank you

Xen

Absolutely true. I used social proof to design an email marketing campaign to get customers to recommend their friends for trying a new health product. The email contained a lab test findings and consumers testimonial. The outcome of the referral campaign was amazing with nearly 50% conversion rate.

Aaron Beashel

Hey Jaina

I totally agree. I sometimes even go to Amazon to look at the reviews even if i’m buying a product elsewhere, just to validate that what i’m buying is a good product.

Glad you got some value on the post and thanks for commenting!

Aaron Beashel

That’s awesome Xen. I’m glad to hear it worked so well for you!

This blog provides general information and discussion about email marketing and related subjects. The content provided in this blog ("Content”), should not be construed as and is not intended to constitute financial, legal or tax advice. You should seek the advice of professionals prior to acting upon any information contained in the Content. All Content is provided strictly “as is” and we make no warranty or representation of any kind regarding the Content.

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